We all know that kale is good for you – but really how many of us actually enjoy eating it? Before I learnt how to prepare it properly I wasn’t keen. I had a few experiences when I chewed and chewed and chewed and couldn’t quite get it down. Most unpleasant.

There are a few things that you can do to make raw kale more palatable. The first of these is to use a citrus dressing. The citrus juice helps to break down the fibres in the leafy green vegetable and not only make it taste better but make it softer to eat. The longer you massage the dressing in to the leaves with your hands for the better the results.

It’s also important that you cut out the thick central stem as this is very woody and not particularly pleasant to eat. If you have whole kale leaves then fold the leaves in half and using a large sharp knife you can cut the stem right out. If your kale has been pre-chopped I prefer to pull the stem out by hand while I’m mixing the dressing in.

I’ve made a few different vegan kale salads over the years but this chickpea kale salad with blood oranges and pistachio nuts is one of my favourites. It’s perfectly seasonal for this time of year – winter here in the UK – when blood oranges are in season. I love how colourful this dish is with the bright green kale and the reds and oranges of the blood orange.

As I’m new to eating vegan I’m still learning how to keep my food bright and interesting – and I’ve found that adding different textures and tastes to my food helps. Crunchy savoury nuts alongside sweet soft blood oranges are a great match. The chickpeas are there to add substance and protein.

It’s also worth mentioning that I keep reading about how iron is absorbed better alongside vitamin C. Now I’m no nutritionist but presumably pairing oranges with kale should help this process along.

You can eat this salad alone but I prefer to eat it alongside other dishes.

This romanesco, chickpea and fennel linguine dish is a delicious and hearty romanesco pasta recipe that’s perfect for vegans and vegetarians.

Just what exactly is romanesco? Is it a cauliflower? Is it a type of broccoli? Some kind of alien life form? Well it turns out that although romanesco is a member of the same family (the brassica) as cauliflower and broccoli it’s actually a unique vegetable in its own right. It not only looks spectacular but it tastes amazing too. But what do you do with it?

We picked one up from our local greengrocers a few weeks ago and my daughter was fascinated by the intricate patterns. Romanesco can be cooked in the same way as cauliflower. It tastes great roasted and can even be cooked and served whole.

On this occasion however I haven’t roasted it but pan fried it along with the other ingredients to make a quick, veg-filled pasta lunch.

My daughter had a brilliant time helping me prepare this romanesco pasta recipe for lunch. When it came to eating it she was less keen but she did give it a good go. Her elder brother inevitably refused to try it but he did eat some of the linguine which is something of a breakthrough because he doesn’t like spaghetti. I showed him that it was a slightly different shape and he tucked in. The vagaries of picky eating never fail to baffle me!

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Romanesco, chickpea and fennel linguine

A delicious vegetarian recipe for romanesco, chickpea and fennel linguine.

Servings4

AuthorCook Veggielicious

Ingredients

2tbspolive oil

1onionthinly sliced

1fennelthinly sliced

2clovesof garliccrushed

1romanescobroken into florets

1x 400g tin of chickpeasdrained

Small handful flat leaf parsleyfinely chopped

Juice of one lemon

Small handful of pine nutstoasted

Chilli flakesoptional

Salt and pepperoptional

250glinguine or other pasta

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a large wok or saucepan.

Add the sliced onion and fennel, stir well and cook over a low heat for around 10 minutes until softened. Add the garlic, stir, and cook for a further two minutes.

Add the romanesco florets and continue to stir fry for 10-15 minutes until softened. You can leave it with a little crunch, or cook it until soft depending on your preference.

In the meantime cook the linguine according to the packet instructions.

When the romanesco has started to soften stir through the chickpeas, lemon juice, parsley, pine nuts and chilli flakes if using. Season to taste.